Monday, January 27, 2014

MEXICO CITY

MEXICO CITY:
Honestly, I don’t have much to say about Mexico City, because I intentionally only spent two days there. Some general tips, then:
  • If you stick to the Centro Historico, the Historic District, and just to the west of it, you should be safe to walk around day and night. To the east you’ll find two markets one after the other, barely distinguishable from the other. You should note that the market closer to the Zocalo (main square) is fine and fun to explore during the day, but the one even further east is unfriendly and run by the wrong kind of people, so you should steer clear even during daylight.
  • The city generally is very safe. You’ll notice friendly police officers at every corner and on every subway. Be smart and stay in populated areas when dark. The Spanish for “HELP!” is “Ayuda!”
  • Use the subway! It’s very cheap, very easy to understand, and I found that as long as I kept my belongings in sight, it was also very safe. The subway system was designed with the illiterate in mind, so every station is represented by a simple drawing, and each route has a color instead of a name.
  • In the city is a very large national park called Chapultepec – kind of like Central Park in Manhattan, if you will. On Sundays it hosts a nice fair. We even got to catch a free outdoor jazz show.
  • Mexico City is divided into several districts, each being divided into several neighborhoods. Some neighborhoods in different districts even have the same name, so it’s important to know exactly where you’re heading.
  • The Frida Khalo museum actually goes far beyond a simple gallery – it has information about her life, as well as displaying actual rooms from her house. Definitely worth a check.